In order for the Sporting Goods Industry to be successful in the social media community, they need to think of social media as an extension of their business; and not just a marketing tool. Consumers do not separate a company’s online business from their traditional methods of business; each is one in the same. By implementing the same values and principles they uphold in their company to their social media program, companies can continue to be successful in their business efforts. The alignment will add value to the social media program, and provide the company with guide and understand for how to manage their social media efforts.

Companies involved in social media should have the ability to demonstrate a share set of values with their consumers. These value presented below are to be used a guide in the company’s involvement in social media. It is extremely important that companies do not forget who they are marketing to and their own role within the social media community. The development and implementation of a social media program should follow the same rules as a company’s traditional media; in order to align with current policies and procedures. (The Coca-Cola Company)

These share values include:

Leadership: The ability to lead by example and shape a better future for their company and industry

Collaboration: Leveraging your collective relationships to provide more to their consumers

Integrity: Be real with your consumers, and they will be real with you

Accountability: Hold the company accountable for their efforts in social media. They are the only ones that can make things happen.

Passion: Do not just be a part of social media, but have a passion for what you do. Your commitment shows consumers that you care about them and the brand you represent.

Diversity: Demonstrate the same diversity in social media efforts, as they do with their brands

Quality: Demonstrate the quality of the brands and products they represent

Below are some core values to which companies should uphold in their online social media community…

Transparency:

Be transparent with your consumers. Some companies may think that it is better that their consumers do not know all the drama/problems surround their company; but if you do not tell them, they will find out from another source. Social media provides visibility to everything happening in the world, and nothing is off limits. By withholding information, you can negatively impact your business. By being open and honest with your consumers, you can strengthen your brand loyalty with them; creating a positive business environment. The more you tell, the more people are willing to forgive.

Protection:Always protect and be mindful of your consumers’ privacy. They trust you, and so you should not disappoint them.

Respect: Always respectcopyrights, trademarks, rights of publicity, and other third-party rights in the social media community. (The Coca-Cola Company)

Responsibility:Be responsible in their use of technology and the organization to which they collaborate with. There are many companies on the internet that promise great programs and benefits, but companies need to be mindful of those companies’ intentions and products. If it’s too good to be true, then it probably is. It is important to do your research, and always have the consumer’s best interest at heart.

Utilization:Utilize all the social media provides to create best practices; listen to the online community, and comply with applicable regulations in order to maintain business efforts and set a standard for behavior. (The Coca-Cola Company)

In the Sporting Goods Industry, companies want to know what consumers think of their products, as well as the activities and conversations surrounding them. The more a company is made visible to their consumers’ interests, the more opportunities they will have to deliver the type of products and or services that support their needs. There are many tools available online that allow companies to monitor social media activity.

One of the tools I chose to review is Radian6. This tool provides companies a platform for social media monitoring, engagement, and workflow management. It helps companies to collect the data and analyze the comments consumers are making about their brand and products on the web. It also helps you to view current trends and further analyze how the company is doing online. (Dyer, 2010). There are free tools online, but Radian6 is not one of them. This particular program costs $600 per month.

Platforms like Radian6 can be applied to just about any form of business. Radian6 provides many business applications such as crisis management, uncovering influencers, exploring the lifecycle of buzz surrounding your company, making a case for social media, benchmarking your competition, generating sales leads, ect. (Radian6, 2011) The tools use is dependent on the needs and strategy of the company.

According to Jeremiah Owyang, an Industry analysis, Social Media Management Systems are a collection of procedures that are used to manage the workflow process of social media. The procedures are either manual or computer-based applications that enable social marketers to quickly manage, maintain, and conduct reporting on multiple social media channels. (Owyang, 2010)

There are many Social Media Management Systems (SMMS) available to help companies manage their efforts across multiple social media channels, execute a workflow process, and streamline their efforts in a time-effective way. (Glassman, 2011)

Expion is a technology company who provides businesses with Enterprise Social Media Management Software to help manage the workflow and operations of your social media. The software manages multiple social platforms by monitoring, communicating, and engaging customers. (Expion, 2010)

I choose to review Expion as the software is valuable tool for businesses to not only manage their social media, but to also manage their relationships with consumers. To a business, social media is all about managing and maintaining relationships with your consumers. Expion is easy to use and was designed for all levels of expertise, which is great for companies who are just getting into the social media environment.

The sporting goods industry is fair new to social media and tools like Expion can to define a company’s’ opportunity and business case for social media, provide clarity to consumer communications, optimize their investments, and gain control over the social media environment. (Expion, 2010)

Social media networks and applications are highly demanding, and SMMS tools offer company’s a way to get a grip on the situation.

The industry I chose to focus on is the Sporting Goods Industry; in direction relations to big name companies like Reebok, Nike, New Balance, Sketchers, Converse, ect. Working in the industry and having a passion for sports, I have developed an interest in the sporting goods industry and for the type of products these companies produce. My plan for the blogs is to provide information on the sport industry, the type of social media being used, in relation to social media – what’s working and what’s not, and what companies are getting the most attention for there use of social media and why. The idea is to demonstrate the ways in which the industry is using social media, bringing attention to it, and underline its importance to the industry. With the information I provide, I hope to engage my readers and gather there opinions for each company as well as the industries social media usage.